Sunday, March 2, 2008

the essays

after each one of these relatively insane coffee trips i write a relatively in-depth essay about our experiences - of course it is nearly impossible to create a summation of what we saw and learned about these places - and made more difficult when you add the complicated through-line of a complex crop and way of life called "coffee" - but nonetheless i hope these writings, videos, and street level photographs help to expand the ever-important dialogue about the beverage we have come to rely on.

an excerpt from: guatemala. ak-47's and bitter water

but there was a rush of fresh air in those pockets of coffee, obviously coming from the sprawling limbs of of wide crowned cedar, cuernavaca, inga, and thick-trunked oak. i think they have bars in downtown tokyo that sell shots of air - it was like that. (for more click here)

an excerpt from: brazil. dark shadows in paradise

so i decided to head to the city and see what the coffee crash had caused - most of us have seen the gut wrenching movie city of god - was the imagery that scratched itself onto our dreams genuine? was it really that dark in sunny brazil? (for more click here)

an excerpt from: ethiopia. a tale of khat vs. coffee

what is khat? or chat? or quat? (pronounced chaat) - quickly, it is a mid-strength stimulant - sometimes described as being similar to cocaine - but a bit more mild - it has been chewed in east africa in leaf form since god-knows-when but of late the usage has surged and coffee farms are quickly being replaced by growths of khat - the farmers make triple the return and the government seems to make a lovely amount of money taxing the exporters of the green leaf. (for more click here)

an excerpt from: why an unprofessional study

and as we share the feast and the booze I fire away - question after question - people twist and turn in their seats, some mutter under their breath, arguments occasionally break out, elegant eulogies arise, but in the end a conversation happens - a small part of a global conversation occurs... (for more click here)

an excerpt from: you can't cover the sun with just one finger

he was referring to the vicissitudes of the free trade movement - but i think it applies to so many things. especially in a world as bright, sometimes painfully bright, and immense as the world of coffee... (for more click here)